What P0507 means
The opposite of P0506: idle sits above target with the computer's idle control fully closed, trying to bring it down. Extra air is entering somewhere the computer can't shut — which makes this, in practice, a vacuum-leak code wearing an idle costume.
What you’ll notice
- Fast idle — engine holding 1,200+ RPM warm
- Harsh gear engagement from the elevated idle
- Sometimes hissing audible under the hood
- Check engine light
Likely causes and repair cost
Broad US independent-shop bands, parts and labour.
Can you drive with P0507?
Yes, with a transmission courtesy: shifting into Drive at a racing idle slams the drivetrain. Blip the brake firmly held and shift gently; then get the leak found.
The misdiagnosis to avoid
Chasing idle-control parts for what the smoke machine finds in five minutes. Uncommanded air is a leak until proven otherwise — P0507 is one of the highest-yield codes for smoke testing, and one of the lowest-yield for parts guessing.
How P0507 actually gets set
The engine computer continuously compares what its sensors report against what its model of the engine expects. When a reading stays outside the expected window long enough to rule out noise, it stores a code and, if the fault affects emissions, illuminates the check engine light.
What a scan tool shows that the code does not
Freeze-frame data — the snapshot of engine speed, load, coolant temperature and fuel trim captured at the moment the code set. Those conditions frequently identify the cause faster than the code description does, because they tell you what the engine was actually doing when it failed.
The trap with this family of codes
Treating the code as a part number. A diagnostic trouble code names a circuit or a condition the computer observed, not the component that needs replacing. The gap between those two things is where most unnecessary parts spending happens.
What happens when you clear it
Clearing a code also resets the emissions readiness monitors, which inspection stations check. Arriving at a test with incomplete monitors fails just as surely as arriving with the light on, so fix the cause and let the system verify itself over several days of normal driving.
A steady light with no change in how the car drives means read the code within days. A flashing light, or any new symptom alongside the code, raises it immediately.
Describe what it’s doing in your own words and the symptom checker gives you a safe-to-drive verdict, ranked causes with costs, and notes to take to the shop — free, no sign-up.
A basic code reader costs around $25 and usually pays for itself the first time a warning light comes on. We compare them in choosing an OBD2 scanner.
Questions people ask
Why did this appear right after a throttle body cleaning?
Two classic reasons: the cleaning restored airflow the computer had spent years trimming around — a relearn resets its baseline and the code with it — or the throttle stop/plate position was disturbed. P0507-after-cleaning is usually a procedure problem, not a new fault, and often free to fix.
Can high idle damage anything?
The idle itself is just fuel waste and noise; the damage vector is the driveline — every engagement from a 1,400 RPM idle is a small shock the transmission mounts and clutches absorb. Weeks of it is nothing; a year of it is measurable wear. Fix it at the pace of 'soon,' shift gently meanwhile.